BALL MARKER FOR GOLF INFORMATION PROCESSING AND GOLF INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD USING THE SAME

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a ball marker for golf information processing and a golf information processing method using the same, wherein, when a user who plays a round of golf manages, processes, and receives golf information pertaining to a round of golf using a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a smart watch, it is possible for the user to easily and conveniently manage and process the golf information through the mobile terminal without directly controlling the mobile terminal or inputting necessary information into the mobile terminal, i.e. without a hassle, thereby improving user convenience.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a ball marker for golf information processing and a golf information processing method using the same, and more particularly, to a ball marker for golf information processing and a golf information processing method using the same, wherein the ball marker, which is usually used when a user plays a round of golf in a golf course, is connected to a mobile terminal via a network such that processes for managing, processing, and providing golf information based on the round of golf can be effectively performed.

Description of the Related Art

In general, golf is a sport in which a round of golf comprising 18 or more holes is played. The smaller the number of shots, the better the score.

People who enjoy golf use various different methods in order to reduce the number of shots when they play a round of golf in a golf course. In particular, a method of obtaining information about the topographical characteristics of a golf course and information about appropriate play tips for each hole in a golf course using a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a smart watch, to establish a strategy for playing a round of golf has been widely used.

The conventional mobile terminal that provides golf information, such as the smartphone or the tablet PC, stores information about the topography of a golf course, checks information about the current position of a user using position information based on a global positioning system (GPS), and provides information about the remaining distance from the current position to a hole cup. Alternatively, the mobile terminal stores typical information about play tips in a golf course, and provides the stored information to a user.

Examples of the conventional mobile terminal are disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2005-0029086, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2006-0102071, and Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0092164.

In the conventional mobile terminal, however, when a user wishes to check the remaining distance from the current position or to record the position that a ball has reached as the result of a shot, i.e. when the user wishes to check or record golf information while playing a round of golf, it is necessary for the user to take out the mobile terminal and to search for necessary information or to directly input necessary information into the mobile terminal, which is very troublesome. As a result, the user may not concentrate on playing the round of golf. Therefore, the usability of the mobile terminal is very low, even though it is possible to obtain very useful information from the mobile terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a ball marker for golf information processing and a golf information processing method using the same, wherein, when a user who plays a round of golf manages, processes, and receives golf information pertaining to a round of golf using a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a smart watch, it is possible for the user to easily and conveniently manage and process the golf information through the mobile terminal without directly controlling the mobile terminal or inputting necessary information into the mobile terminal, i.e. without a hassle, thereby improving user convenience.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a ball marker for indicating the position of a ball in a round of golf played by a user, the ball marker including a marker body, a switch provided on the marker body at one side of the marker body so as to be manipulated by the user, a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile terminal that receives a satellite signal through a global positioning system (GPS) module to calculate information about the current position of the user, stores information about the topography of a golf course on which the user plays the round of golf, displays the position of the user on the golf course, and provides information about the round of golf played by the user, and a controller configured to transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal through the communication unit in response to the manipulation of the switch such that golf information based on the round of golf played by the user is managed and processed by the mobile terminal.

The controller may be configured to set a plurality of manipulation modes of the switch in advance, to set a control signal to be transmitted to the mobile terminal for each of the manipulation modes of the switch in advance, to determine in which of the manipulation modes the user has manipulated the switch, and to transmit a control signal preset for the determined manipulation mode to the mobile terminal.

The controller may be configured to transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch and to provide the processed information to the mobile terminal through the communication unit.

The controller may be configured to transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch and to provide the processed information to the mobile terminal through the communication unit, to receive information processed by the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and to provide the received information to the user in response to the manipulation of the switch.

The ball marker may further include at least one selected from between a voice output unit configured to output the received information in the form of a voice in response to the manipulation of the switch and a display unit configured to display the received information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf information processing method using a ball marker for indicating the position of a ball in a round of golf played by a user and a mobile terminal for golf information processing, the golf information processing method including setting a communication unit of the ball marker so as to wirelessly communicate with the mobile terminal configured to receive a satellite signal through a GPS module to calculate information about the current position of the user, to store information about the topography of a golf course on which the user plays the round of golf, to display the position of the user on the golf course, and to provide information about the round of golf played by the user, transmitting a control signal to the mobile terminal through the communication unit in response to the manipulation of a switch of the ball marker such that golf information based on the round of golf played by the user is managed and processed by the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal managing and processing golf information preset for the received control signal in response to the received control signal.

The golf information processing method may further include the ball marker transmitting a control signal to the mobile terminal in response to the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in the state in which the information about the topography of the golf course on which the user plays the round of golf is loaded, and the mobile terminal calculating information about the current position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker, mapping the calculated information about the current position of the user to the loaded golf course, and automatically recognizing the hole on which the user is playing the round of golf as a reference hole to be displayed on a screen of the mobile terminal.

The step of automatically recognizing the reference hole may include determining whether the current position is the position of a tee box or a position within an outline based on the information about the position of the user calculated by the mobile terminal using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker, and upon determining that the current position is the position of the tee box or the position within the outline, setting a hole, the tee box of which has been recognized, as the reference hole or setting the reference hole based on the outline.

The step of transmitting the control signal to the mobile terminal may include sensing the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in a predetermined mode, and the ball marker transmitting a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to calculate the remaining distance from the current position of the user and to provide information about the calculated remaining distance to the mobile terminal in response to the sensed manipulation of the switch of the ball marker, and the step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information may include the mobile terminal calculating the information about the position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker, the mobile terminal calculating the remaining distance using the calculated position information and information about the position of a hole cup on a hole based on the position information, and the mobile terminal performing at least one selected from among outputting the calculated remaining distance in the form of a voice, displaying the calculated remaining distance on the screen, and transmitting the calculated remaining distance to the ball marker in order to provide information about the remaining distance through the ball marker.

The step of transmitting the control signal to the mobile terminal may include sensing the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in a predetermined mode, and the ball marker transmitting a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to record the current position of the user to the mobile terminal in response to the sensed manipulation of the switch of the ball marker, and the step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information may include the mobile terminal calculating the information about the current position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker, and the mobile terminal calculating the current position of the user based on the calculated information as a shot position, which is the position that a ball has reached as the result of the previous shot, or transmitting the position based on the calculated information to a server.

The step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information may include calculating at least one selected from among information about a movement path based on a shot position recorded for each hole, information about a flight distance for each shot, and recording information for each shot using information stored in the mobile terminal or using information received from the server and providing the calculated information to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a ball marker configured to communicate with a mobile terminal in a wireless fashion such that golf information is managed and processed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of a ball marker according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mobile terminal using the same;

FIG. 3 is views (a), (b) showing examples in which the mobile terminal collects, manages, processes, and provides golf information using the ball marker according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a golf information processing method using a ball marker and a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process in which the mobile terminal recognizes and sets a reference hole in response to a control signal received from the ball marker in the golf information processing method using the ball marker and the mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A ball marker for golf information processing according to the present invention and a golf information processing method using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, golf information management and processing through a ball marker according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mobile terminal using the same will be generally described with reference to FIG. 1.

In general, when playing a round of golf in a golf course, a user frequently uses a ball maker to indicate the position of his/her own ball on a fairway or a green. When the ball marker is not placed at the position of the ball, the user plays the round of golf generally in the state in which the ball marker is magnetically attached to a marker holder fixed to a golf cap of the user.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ball marker for golf information management and processing according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to be used in the same manner as an ordinary ball marker.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a marker holder 200 may be fixed to a golf cap CA of the user, and a ball marker 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be magnetically attached to the marker holder 200 such that the ball marker 100 can be used.

Of course, the marker holder 200 is not necessarily fixed to the golf cap CA. The marker holder 200 may be fixed to any portion of the body of the user as long as the user can easily and conveniently use the ball marker 100.

The ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to communicate with a mobile terminal 300 in a wireless manner. Through the wireless communication, the mobile terminal 300 may collect, manage, and process various kinds of golf information, and may provide the processed golf information to the user in the form of a voice, etc.

That is, when the user performs a simple manipulation through the ball marker 100 while playing a round of golf in the state in which the ball marker 100 is attached to the marker holder 200 fixed to the golf cap CA (since the ball marker is usually provided at any position at which the user can easily and conveniently use the ball marker, the ball marker can be easily and conveniently manipulated without inconvenience at any time), a control signal may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 300 such that the mobile terminal 300 collects, manages, and processes various kinds of golf information. As a result, it is not necessary for the user to take out and manipulate the mobile terminal 300 or input information into the mobile terminal 300 in order to collect, manage, and process individual pieces of golf information. That is, it is not necessary for the user to perform troublesome manipulations.

The kind of the mobile terminal 300 is not particularly restricted as long as the mobile terminal 300 is portable. For example, the mobile terminal 300 may include a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smart watch, and a special-purpose terminal for providing golf information.

That is, the kind of the mobile terminal 300 is not particularly restricted as long as the mobile terminal 300 can be connected with the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention in a wireless network through near field communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to have a simple structure in which a switch 120 is provided on a marker body 110 of the ball marker 100 and a light emitting diode (LED) indication unit 122 indicates whether the ball marker 100 is in an operating state.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a display unit 140, through which the user can visually check information.

The construction of the ball marker 100 and the mobile terminal 300 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the mobile terminal 300 configured to wirelessly communicate with the ball marker 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ball marker 100 may include a switch 120, an LED indication unit 122, a communication unit 130, and a controller M. In another embodiment, the ball marker 100 may include at least one selected from between a display unit 140 and a voice output unit 150.

A printed circuit board (PCB) for processing signals from the respective elements of the ball marker 100 may be provided in the marker body of the ball marker 100. A chip mounted on the PCB may serve as the controller M. The switch 120 may be mounted to the PCB in the form of a predetermined switch that is capable of transmitting a signal to the controller M, e.g. a tack switch configured to be easily and conveniently pushed by a user.

In the case in which the display unit 140 is configured as a touch display unit, the switch 120 may be integrated into the display unit 140. That is, in this case, the display unit 140 may be short touched or long touched, instead of the switch 220 being short pushed or long pushed.

The communication unit 130 may be realized by a chip or module that is capable of performing wireless communication using, for example, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Under the control of the controller M, the communication unit 130 may transmit an information delivery signal to the mobile terminal 300 based on the manipulation of the switch 120, or may transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to process information based on the switch manipulation to the mobile terminal 300.

Meanwhile, the mobile terminal 300 may include a terminal controller 310, a wireless communication module 320, a storage unit 330, a terminal display unit 340, a sensor 350, a global positioning system (GPS) module 360, and a speaker 370.

Among the elements of the mobile terminal 300, the terminal controller 310, the wireless communication module 320, which is configured to wirelessly communicate with the communication unit 130 of the ball marker 100, and the GPS module 360, which is configured to manage and process golf information based on position, are the essential elements of the mobile terminal 300.

The storage unit 330 is an element for storing various kinds of golf information, such as information about the topography of a golf course on which a user plays a round of golf. The storage unit 330 may directly store such various kinds of information, or may temporarily store various kinds of information, such as information about the topography of a golf course, received from a server S.

The GPS module 360 is an element that receives a satellite signal for calculating information about the current position of the mobile terminal 300 (in other words, the information about the current position of the user).

When the GPS module 360 calculates information about the current position of the user, the terminal controller 310 may perform control such that the position of the user on the golf course is displayed and such that various kinds of information, such as the distance from the current position to a target position, are calculated.

The speaker 370 may output the information processed by the mobile terminal 300 in the form of a voice.

The sensor 350 may include, for example, an acceleration sensor and an azimuth sensor. Based on information sensed by the azimuth sensor, information about whether the user remains stopped at the same position, whether the user is moving, or the direction that the user is facing, may be calculated, and the calculated information may be displayed together with golf information.

The mobile terminal 300 may collect, manage, and process various kinds of golf information based on a control signal received from the ball marker 100, and may store the information in the storage unit 330. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 300 may transmit the information to the server S, which stores the information received from the mobile terminal 300.

Various kinds of information stored in the server S, which have been collected and managed from rounds of golf played by a certain user, may be checked by the user after accessing the server S. For example, the user may play a round of golf, the server S may calculate and store information about the score of the user at the round of golf, and the user may access the server S to download the stored information from the server S.

Hereinafter, various examples in which the mobile terminal manages and processes golf information based on the manipulation of the ball marker according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3(a) shows the case in which the mobile terminal 300 stores information about a tee shot position or shot positions (which means the positions that the ball has reached as the result of previous shots) or transmits the information to the server through the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention such that golf information is managed and processed.

FIG. 3(b) shows the case in which the mobile terminal 300 calculates the remaining distance from the current position to a target position and provides the calculated distance in the form of a voice or an image through the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The controller of the ball marker 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to set a plurality of manipulation modes of the switch 120 in advance.

That is, the controller of the ball marker 100 may set a control signal to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 300 for each of the manipulation modes of the switch 120 in advance. In this case, the controller of the ball marker 100 may determine in which of the manipulation modes the user has manipulated the switch 120, and may transmit a control signal preset for the determined manipulation mode to the mobile terminal 300.

For example, when the switch 120 of the ball marker 100 is long pushed (i.e. when the switch is pushed for a predetermined time by ‘long pushing’), as shown in FIG. 3(a), the controller of the ball marker 100 may transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to record the tee shot position or the shot positions to the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3(a), in the state in which information about the topography of a golf course on which a user is playing a round of golf is loaded in advance and in which a hole to be displayed through the terminal display unit 340 as a hole on the golf course on which the user is playing the round of golf (hereinafter, referred to as a “reference hole”) is recognized and displayed, the mobile terminal 300 may calculate the current position using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker 100 and may add the calculated position to a map 342 for the loaded reference hole to record and display the tee shot position Tb or the shot positions p1, p2, and Pc.

In the example shown in FIG. 3(a), the mobile terminal 300 shows that the current shot position (i.e. the position that the ball has reached as the result of the golf shot at the previous position, that is, the position at which the user is currently positioned) is at the position Pc via the position of a tee box Tb, the position that the ball has reached as the result of the tee shot p1, and the position that the ball has reached as the result of the second shot p2.

In addition, when the switch 120 of the ball marker 100 is short pushed (i.e. when the switch is pushed and released within the predetermined time by ‘short pushing’), as shown in FIG. 3(b), the controller of the ball marker 100 may transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to calculate the remaining distance from the current position and to provide the calculated remaining distance from the current position to the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the mobile terminal 300 may display the map 342 for the reference hole on which the user is playing the round of golf through the terminal display unit 340, may calculate the current position Pc using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker 100, may check the position of a hole cup hc, which is a target position, on the map 341 for the loaded reference hole, may calculate the distance from the current position Pc to the position of the hole cup hc as the remaining distance, and may output the calculated distance from the current position Pc to the position of the hole cup hc through the speaker of the mobile terminal 300 in the form of a voice.

In the example shown in FIG. 3(b), the mobile terminal 300 shows that the calculated distance from the current position Pc to the position of the hole cup hc is 80 m and that the message “the remaining distance to the hole cup is 80 m” is output in the form of a voice.

In the above examples, the controller of the ball marker 100 unidirectionally transmits a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch 120 and to provide the processed information to the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit of the ball marker 100 such that processing is performed by the mobile terminal 300.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, the ball marker 100 may include a display unit 140 or a voice output unit (not shown). Upon recognizing that the switch 120 has been short pushed, the controller of the ball marker 100 may transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to calculate the remaining distance from the current position and to provide the calculated remaining distance from the current position to the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit. As a result, the mobile terminal 300 may perform the above process, and may transmit information about the remaining distance, which is 80 m, to the ball marker 100. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the ball marker 100 may visually display the message “the remaining distance is 80 m” through the display unit 140. Although not shown, the remaining distance may be output through the voice output unit in the form of a voice.

That is, in the above examples, the controller of the ball marker 100 transmits a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal 300 to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch 120 and to provide the processed information to the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit of the ball marker 100, and in addition, the ball marker 100 receives the information processed by the mobile terminal 300 through the communication unit and provides the processed information to the user through the display unit or in the form of a voice in response to the manipulation of the switch.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the mode of manipulating the switch 120 of the ball marker 100 is set to ‘long pushing’ and ‘short pushing’ in advance. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, various manipulation modes, such as ‘one-time short pushing’, ‘two-time short pushing’, and ‘two-time long pushing’, may be set. In addition, a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to collect, manage, and process information through a specific process may be designed and set in advance for each manipulation mode.

Hereinafter, a golf information processing method using the ball marker according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

In order for the mobile terminal to process golf information using the ball marker, the mobile terminal may first execute a program or application for managing and providing golf information (S100).

After the program or application is executed, the user may select information about a golf course on which the user will play a round of golf, and may load the selected information in the mobile terminal before playing the round of golf (S110).

Subsequently, when the ball maker is powered on in order to control the mobile terminal using the ball marker, the ball marker may transmit a signal for wireless communication connection with the mobile terminal to the mobile terminal (S200), and the user may activate the wireless communication module of the mobile terminal such that the mobile terminal searches for the ball marker from connectable devices, and may select the found ball marker.

As a result, the mobile terminal may recognize the ball marker and may set wireless communication connection (S120).

For example, the mobile terminal may search for a device that is capable of performing Bluetooth communication and may then select the ball marker, with the result that the ball marker and the mobile terminal may be set such that the ball marker and the mobile terminal may wirelessly communicate with each other through Bluetooth communication.

Meanwhile, when the user manipulates the switch of the ball marker in one of the preset manipulation modes (e.g. when the user long pushes the switch of the ball marker) in the state in which the ball marker and the mobile terminal are connected to each other so as to communicate with each other in a wireless fashion, as described above, a control signal in response thereto may be transmitted to the mobile terminal (S210), and the mobile terminal may receive the control signal, may calculate position information using the GPS module, a hole on which the user will play the round of golf (i.e. a hole to be displayed on the terminal display unit), which is a reference hole, in the loaded golf course based thereon, and may start to play the round of golf on the reference hole (S130). That is, a tee shot may be taken on the reference hole.

While the round of golf is being played on the reference hole (S150), the processes described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) may be performed. The process described with reference to FIG. 3(a) may be performed at steps S220 and S160 in the flowchart of FIG. 4, and the process described with reference to FIG. 3(b) may be performed at steps S230, S170, and S180 in the flowchart of FIG. 4.

When the user manipulates (e.g. long pushes) the switch of the ball marker while the round of golf is being played on the reference hole, the ball marker may transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal (S220), and the mobile terminal may calculate position information using the GPS module in response to the control signal and may record the shot position on the reference hole (S160).

When the user manipulates (e.g. short pushes) the switch of the ball marker, the ball marker may transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal (S230), and the mobile terminal may calculate position information using the GPS module in response to the control signal and may calculate the remaining distance to the position of a hole cup, which is a target position, on the map of the reference hole (S170). Subsequently, the mobile terminal may output the calculated remaining distance through the display unit or in the form of a voice such that the user can be informed of the calculated remaining distance (S180), or may transmit the calculated remaining distance to the ball marker such that the user can be informed of the calculated remaining distance through the voice output unit or the display unit of the ball marker.

When the round of golf on the reference hole is finished (i.e. hole-out) (S190), the user may manipulate the switch of the ball marker on the next hole. As a result, the mobile terminal may calculate position information using the GPS module, may recognize the current hole as the reference hole, and may display the current hole through the display unit. The user may start to play the round of golf on the new reference hole, and the process may be performed again at steps S220 and S230 for the ball marker and at steps S169, S170, and S180 for the mobile terminal.

Hereinafter, the process for automatically recognizing the reference hole at steps S210 and S130 of FIG. 4 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5.

When the user takes a tee shot on a first hole of the golf course or when the user takes a tee shot after hole-out on a certain hole, the user may manipulate the switch of the ball marker, the ball marker may transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal in response to the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker, and the mobile terminal may receive the control signal (S210).

Upon receiving the control signal, the mobile terminal may calculate position information using the GPS module (S131), and may determine whether the calculated position is the position of a tee box (S132) or a position within an outline (S133).

That is, when the position calculated using the GPS module is at the position of the tee box (i.e. a position within a predetermined vicinity of Tb in the display unit 340 of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 3(a), the mobile terminal may know the hole to which the tee box belongs, and may set the hole, the tee box of which has been recognized, as the reference hole (S135).

If the current user position is not the position of the tee box, the mobile terminal may determine whether the current user position is within the outline (i.e. a position near L in the display unit 340 of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 3(a), and may set the reference hole based on the outline within which the current position has been determined) (S136).

If the current position calculated using the GPS module is neither the position of the tee box nor a position within the outline, the mobile terminal may ask the user to move to the tee box in the form of a voice or an image (S134).

When the current position calculated using the GPS module is the position of the tee box or a position within the outline and the mobile terminal sets the reference hole based thereon, the mobile terminal may display the set reference hole through the display unit to inform the user of distance information of the reference hole (S137).

When the user moves to the next hole after playing the reference hole, the user may manipulate the switch of the ball marker to transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal may receive the control signal (S212), and the next process may be performed.

That is, the round of golf may be continuously performed on the existing reference hole before the mobile terminal receives the control signal based on the manipulation of the switch from the ball marker (S140). Upon receiving the control signal, the mobile terminal may calculate position information using the GPS module, and may determine whether the calculated position is the position of the tee box (S310).

Upon determining that the calculated position is not the position of the tee box, which means that the user has not completed the existing reference hole, the round of golf may be continuously played on the existing reference hole. Upon determining that the calculated position is the position of the tee box, on the other hand, the mobile terminal may set the hole, the tee box of which has been recognized, as a new reference hole (S320).

Subsequently, the mobile terminal may display the newly set reference hole through the display unit to inform the user of distance information of the reference hole (S330).

Steps S212, S140, S310, and S330 may be repeated, and the mobile terminal may receive a control signal in response to the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker and may successively set the reference hole. In this way, the round of golf may be played. When the round of golf is finished, records, typically for 18 holes, may be taken as records for the round of golf, or the user may transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal through additional manipulation of the switch (S340).

When information about the current position is calculated using the GPS module and the reference hole is newly set after every hole-out, as described above, the mobile terminal may drive the GPS module at short time intervals to automatically calculate the current position information in order to determine whether the user is currently positioned at a new reference hole. In this case, however, power consumption may be increased, since the GPS module is continuously driven at short time intervals. In addition, the reference hole may be incorrectly set due to errors generated in the process, with the result that it may be difficult to accurately collect and manage golf information.

In the present invention, however, when information about the current position is calculated using the GPS module and the reference hole is newly set after every hole-out, the mobile terminal calculates the position information and sets the reference hole at the time of manipulating the switch of the ball marker without continuously operating the GPS module. As a result, power consumption may be greatly reduced, and the reference hole may be accurately set. In addition, a signal may be easily transmitted to the mobile terminal using the ball marker, which may be easily and conveniently handled by the user while the user is playing a round of golf.

As described above, in the ball marker for golf information processing according to the present invention and the golf information processing method using the same, it is possible for a user who plays a round of golf to manage and process golf information through the mobile terminal by simply and clearly manipulating the ball marker, which is generally used while the user is playing the golf round, without directly controlling the mobile terminal or inputting necessary information into the mobile terminal, whereby it is possible to improve user convenience. In addition, it is possible for the mobile terminal to accurately recognize the reference hole by manipulating the switch of the ball marker, whereby it is possible to accurately manage golf information with low power consumption.

As is apparent from the above description, in the ball marker for golf information processing according to the present invention and the golf information processing method using the same, when a user who plays a round of golf manages, processes, and receives golf information pertaining to a round of golf using a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a smart watch, it is possible for the user to easily and conveniently manage and process the golf information through the mobile terminal by simply and clearly manipulating the ball marker, which is generally used while the user is playing the golf round, without directly controlling the mobile terminal or inputting necessary information into the mobile terminal, thereby improving user convenience.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A ball marker for indicating a position of a ball in a round of golf played by a user, the ball marker comprising:

a marker body;

a switch provided on the marker body at one side of the marker body so as to be manipulated by the user;

a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile terminal that receives a satellite signal through a global positioning system (GPS) module to calculate information about a current position of the user, stores information about a topography of a golf course on which the user plays the round of golf, displays a position of the user on the golf course, and provides information about the round of golf played by the user; and

a controller configured to transmit a control signal to the mobile terminal through the communication unit in response to a manipulation of the switch such that golf information based on the round of golf played by the user is managed and processed by the mobile terminal.

2. The ball marker according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to set a plurality of manipulation modes of the switch in advance, to set a control signal to be transmitted to the mobile terminal for each of the manipulation modes of the switch in advance, to determine in which of the manipulation modes the user has manipulated the switch, and to transmit a control signal preset for the determined manipulation mode to the mobile terminal.

3. The ball marker according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch and to provide the processed golf information to the mobile terminal through the communication unit.

4. The ball marker according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to process golf information in response to the manipulation of the switch and to provide the processed golf information to the mobile terminal through the communication unit, to receive information processed by the mobile terminal through the communication unit, and to provide the received information to the user in response to the manipulation of the switch.

5. The ball marker according to claim 4, further comprising at least one selected from between a voice output unit configured to output the received information in a form of a voice in response to the manipulation of the switch and a display unit configured to display the received information.

6. A golf information processing method using a ball marker for indicating a position of a ball in a round of golf played by a user and a mobile terminal for golf information processing, the golf information processing method comprising:

setting a communication unit of the ball marker so as to wirelessly communicate with the mobile terminal configured to receive a satellite signal through a GPS module to calculate information about a current position of the user, to store information about a topography of a golf course on which the user plays the round of golf, to display a position of the user on the golf course, and to provide information about the round of golf played by the user;

transmitting a control signal to the mobile terminal through the communication unit in response to a manipulation of a switch of the ball marker such that golf information based on the round of golf played by the user is managed and processed by the mobile terminal; and

the mobile terminal managing and processing golf information preset for the received control signal in response to the received control signal.

7. The golf information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

the ball marker transmitting a control signal to the mobile terminal in response to the manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in a state in which the information about the topography of the golf course on which the user plays the round of golf is loaded; and

the mobile terminal calculating information about the current position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker, mapping the calculated information about the current position of the user to the loaded golf course, and automatically recognizing a hole on which the user is playing the round of golf as a reference hole to be displayed on a screen of the mobile terminal.

8. The golf information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the step of automatically recognizing the reference hole comprises:

determining whether the current position is a position of a tee box or a position within an outline based on the information about the position of the user calculated by the mobile terminal using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker; and

upon determining that the current position is the position of the tee box or the position within the outline, setting a hole, the tee box of which has been recognized, as the reference hole or setting the reference hole based on the outline.

9. The golf information processing method according to claim 6, wherein

the step of transmitting the control signal to the mobile terminal comprises:

sensing a manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in a predetermined mode; and

the ball marker transmitting a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to calculate a remaining distance from the current position of the user and to provide information about the calculated remaining distance to the mobile terminal in response to the sensed manipulation of the switch of the ball marker, and wherein

the step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information comprises:

the mobile terminal calculating the information about the position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker;

the mobile terminal calculating the remaining distance using the calculated position information and information about a position of a hole cup on a hole based on the position information; and

the mobile terminal performing at least one selected from among outputting the calculated remaining distance in a form of a voice, displaying the calculated remaining distance on a screen, and transmitting the calculated remaining distance to the ball marker in order to provide information about the remaining distance through the ball marker.

10. The golf information processing method according to claim 6, wherein

the step of transmitting the control signal to the mobile terminal comprises:

sensing a manipulation of the switch of the ball marker in a predetermined mode; and

the ball marker transmitting a control signal for commanding the mobile terminal to record the current position of the user to the mobile terminal in response to the sensed manipulation of the switch of the ball marker, and wherein

the step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information comprises:

the mobile terminal calculating the information about the current position of the user using the GPS module in response to the control signal received from the ball marker; and

the mobile terminal calculating the current position of the user based on the calculated information as a shot position, which is a position that a ball has reached as a result of a previous shot, or transmitting the position based on the calculated information to a server.

11. The golf information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the step of the mobile terminal managing and processing the golf information comprises calculating at least one selected from among information about a movement path based on a shot position recorded for each hole, information about a flight distance for each shot, and recording information for each shot using information stored in the mobile terminal or using information received from the server and providing the calculated information to the user.